Rainbow Café and LGBTQ Resource Center presents the LGBTQ+ Ballroom Extravaganza
Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/30/2022
6:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Location
SIU Student Center Ballrooms
Categories
SIUC’s LGBTQ Resource Center will be kicking off LGBTQ History Month on the campus of
SIU Carbondale on Friday, September 30th with the 2022 LGBTQ+ Ballroom Extravaganza in
Ballroom D of the SIU Student Center starting at 7:00pm with doors opening at 6:30pm. In
addition, this event will kick off a weekend of events for the first annual Southern Illinois
LGBTQ FEST presented by Rainbow Café.
The LGBTQ Resource Center and Rainbow Cafe invite students and members of the SIUC
community to learn about the history of the LGBTQ Ballroom scene through a Ballroom 101
Workshop presented by Maven Lee, the director of the SHADES Project St. Louis, and
additional members starting at 7:00pm. The SHADES Project St. Louis is a non-profit
organization and stands for Supporting the Health, Arts, Diversity, Education and Safe Spaces of
queer & trans people of color and the folx who love them. Following the Ballroom 101
Workshop, audience members will be able to “walk” categories such as Vogue, Face, Fantasy,
Butch Queen, and Femme Queen beginning around 8:15pm. Interested guests are welcome to
sign-up in advance or sign up at the door. Dr. Jonny Gray, host of “Isn’t It Queer”, will join us as
Mothra Stewart to serve as the emcee for the evening.
Come and celebrate Ballroom Culture and LGBTQ History Month with us!! “Ballroom Culture”
originated in New York City in the late 20th century and provided a space for queer people of
color to come together as a community and compete in a variety of categories. “Ballroom
Culture” gained national awareness after it was captured in the documentary Paris is Burning
(1990) and after the release of Madonna’s hit song “Vogue” (1990). A resurgence of “Ballroom
Culture” has been seen following the success of the hit television show Pose on the FX Network
and the television show Legendary on HBO Max.
This fun-filled event will serve as a fundraiser for Rainbow Café. The Rainbow Café is a
nonprofit organization that has served the LGBTQ community of Southern Illinois for over 20
years. All are welcome to this event! Kids 12 and under will receive free admission. There is a
$5 suggested donation for Students with an ID and a $7 suggested donation for community
members. For more information about Rainbow Café visit rainbowcafe.org. For more
information about SIUC’s LGBTQ Resource Center and a calendar of events celebrating
LGBTQ History Month on the campus of SIUC, please visit https://smrc.siu.edu/.